RFID tags can be used to allow a fast inventory of items in a retail environment, for example jewelry placed in a display case. It is important that such a RFID tag is placed onto the item in a way that is both secure and unobtrusive. Typically, a pricing label is applied to the article with a thin extension or tab that wraps around some portion of the jewelry item to identify the piece to the customer and to provide an indication as to the price for the retailer.
In order to obtain maximum performance from a RFID tag it is desirable that the tag is as large as possible. In particular, it is believed that increasing the length, increasing the dimension towards that of a half wave dipole, will help increase antenna gain and efficiency. However, creating such a RFID device can be expensive.
RFID devices that have small antennas, such as those that can be inserted into a label suitable for attaching to a broad variety of jewelry items, tend to have a relatively narrow operating frequency bandwidth and as such are not as desirable as other options.
Another problem associated with labeling consumer items such as jewelry is for a part of the antenna to be placed into the tab that is connected or attached to the jewelry item. However, with the typical jewelry or other tab, the antenna comes into contact or proximity of the conductive material of the jewelry or other consumer item causing the RFID device to couple to the metal of jewelry item which will then alter the operating frequency of the antenna and potentially reduce the performance.
What is needed, therefore, is a construction that utilizes a relatively small RFID device that can be implemented with traditional jewelry tagging labels.